NAWJ held the most well-attended regional conference in its history - the
Midwest Leadership Conference in Chicago August 27-29. Regional Conference co-chairs,
Judges Cheryl Cesario, Jane Craney and Sophia Hall, put on an incredible event, with
three outstanding educational panels presented to record crowds. Two of these programs
were co-sponsored by our frequent partner, the American Judicature Society (AJS),
one of which (“Ethics Jeopardy”) was moderated by American Judicature Association
President Gordon L. Doerfer. Thoughtful and perceptive remarks by Scott Turow were
also a highlight of the conference. The riveting focus of the event, of course, was
the Keynote Speech by our great friend Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered at a
luncheon attended by over 370 people, thanks in large part to the extraordinary work
of the Chicago Friends Committee, co-chaired by Leslie Davis, Linda Listrom, Kathy
Roach and Lisa Tchen. Scholarship Committee co-chairs, Jackie Lustig and Judge Nina
Puglia, presented the first-ever Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Award to DePaul
University law student, Allegra Cira. The two receptions could not have been more
spectacular - one for the food and the views in the building where Judge Susan Fox
Gillis makes her home, and the other for Justice Ginsburg's attendance with her family
and her wonderful offer to engage in a wide-ranging “conversation” with me and the
assembled judges.